All About Carrie Ann Inaba's Upcoming Hawaii Wedding — and the Tearful Moment She Asked Her Mom to Be Maid of Honor

Carrie Ann Inaba has yet to announce a wedding date, but it seems she’s making strides in the planning process.

“I’ve thought more about the wedding than the reception,” the Dancing with the Stars judge tells PEOPLE. “A wedding is sacred. It’s a profound moment in one’s life and we both want to focus more on the ceremony and make sure it represents our love and truth in a very intimate and special way.”

“We both have an affinity for the ocean. We had our first date near the ocean, we got engaged near the ocean. The ocean will be a central theme in our wedding,” says Inaba. “And we’re guessing and hoping for a sunset to remember.”

Inaba guest co-hosted Tuesday’s episode of Live with Kelly & Ryan alongside Ryan Seacrest and revealed she’s chosen a location for the wedding: her native Hawaii.

The DWTS judge says she’s been using a Pinterest board to help her find inspiration for the celebration.

“It works because the first picture I pulled for my wedding was this picture of a beach with like these two beautiful trees and chiffon and benches. It was just so gorgeous,” Inaba told Seacrest.

She became insistent the venue have trees like the photo and was even contemplating asking some of the DWTS crew to craft fake trees for her to bring into a venue. She said she became discouraged when most locations nixed that idea “but the last place we went in Hawaii was the place — it was the actual place [from the photo!]”

Inaba said on-air that she’s currently figuring out who her bridesmaids will be. But there’s no question who her maid of honor will be.

Live on the show, Inaba asked her mother to be in her wedding party.

“How sweet of you,” her mother told her before wiping tears away from her face.

No word yet on what Inaba will have her bridal party wearing on her big day, but there’s one thing for certain: no sequins.

“If you’re coming to my wedding, do not wear sequin,” she explained to Seacrest. “I will make you go home and change.”